Avatar

Pretty much every element of Avatar’s visual production was top-of-the-line, but its groundbreaking use of 3-D is really what transformed it from an expensive Pocahontas knock-off into a record-shattering triumph. For proof, look no further than the scene when Jake learns how to…um…train his dragon. It still makes us queasy, in a totally awesome, free-fall-on-a-rollercoaster way. —Josh Stillman